


Noticed.

by Stripes_040527



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Amelia is tired and stressed and very very gay, An awkward lesbian and an ex-spy walk into a coffee shop..., Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, F/F, Lesbian Natasha Romanov, Misunderstandings, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Protective Natasha Romanov, Set around the time Nat works for Tony as Natalie Rushman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-02 11:50:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19198216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stripes_040527/pseuds/Stripes_040527
Summary: The redhead’s balance was the first thing Amelia noticed.That, and she was gorgeous.“Dude, help” she texted her housemate. “Is it possible to fall in love with someone you saw for 3 seconds on the subway?”Natasha was not used to being noticed.So when the girl from the train bumped into her at the coffee shop, she was on high alert.She was a lot of things, but she wasn’t naive. Coincidences like that didn’t exist.“She’s definitely an agent,” Nat said when Clint picked up the phone.“How do you figure?” he asked, mouth full of food.“She said she wasn’t following me.”“That is the universal way of saying that you’re following someone,” he said sarcastically.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little story about Nat meeting a girl named Amelia
> 
> It will be two chapters, maybe with a little bonus at the end if I get time  
> Will post as I finish proof reading them!

The redhead’s balance was the first thing Amelia noticed.  
She was standing on the subway, playing on her phone and swaying lightly as the train jerked and moved.  
One foot was crossed behind the other, looking something like a casual ballerina as she narrowed her eyes at her phone.  
She was pretty, gorgeous even.  
Her jaw was set as she read her screen, brow slightly furrowed.  
Her hair was mostly pulled back, a few dark red curls loose and framing her face. 

Amelia sighed as she took it all in. 

Then the redhead looked up, directly into her eyes.  
Amelia blinked and she was gone, disappearing through the crowd at the station they’d pulled into. 

“Dude, help” she texted her housemate. “Is it possible to fall in love with someone you saw for 3 seconds on the subway?”  
“Probably” was the response, and Amelia sighed again.

-*-

Natasha was not used to being noticed, not when she was working.  
She’d built a life on anonymity in public.  
SHIELD payed top dollar for it, after all. 

So to say this girl had rattled her was an understatement.  
The subway was the last safe vestige for those seeking anonymity, or so Clint had told her once.  
But she’d felt it, the prickling down her neck, and looked up into dark brown eyes and a surprised expression. 

Natasha bailed out, darting through the crowd and heading home.  
She had more important things to worry about than some random girl noticing her on the subway. 

Instead of straight home, she went to Clint’s apartment on base, knocking once and pushing open the door.

She was on recon only and she was bored.  
The guy she had been tailing, Simon Strike, had the makings of a super villain - vast inherited fortune, zero empathy, cool name with alliteration to boot - but as far as Nat could tell, he was just an asshole.  
Nothing more sinister than an affair with his secretary. 

“God, everything is a cliche,” she told Clint, lying on the couch and shoving her feet into his lap. “Cheating on his wife with the secretary, knocking her up, even paying her off. Then he fired her and hired a new one to fuck.”  
“At least he’s not trying to kill you?” Clint asked, pushing her legs away.  
“I wish he was. I’m bored and I’m tired, and I haven’t even begun any actual work. Fury has me on infiltration starting Monday though. He thinks Strike’s the key to something bigger.”  
She tried with her feet again, and again he pushed her away.  
“With a name like that, he’s gotta be doing something dirty,” he said thoughtfully.  
She kicked him in the thigh, hard, then rested her feet on his lap again.  
Clint sighed and relented, grabbing her foot and giving her a massage.  
“You don’t deserve me,” he told her, and she shrugged.  
“And I never will, I’m sure.”

-*-

Amelia was 65% sure she was going to be fired.  
Turning up to work an hour late generally meant that, especially when looking like something the cat dragged in, with a flooded work laptop and hair a frizzy mess.  
She paused in the lobby to try and tame her hair before heading up, when she caught sight of red curls.  
The girl from the train was walking through the square, heading to one of the neighbouring buildings.  
Like clockwork, the second Amelia picked her out in the crowd, her head swivelled, startlingly green eyes finding her own quickly.  
Then she was gone, disappearing into a building.  
Amelia stood there for another five minutes, staring at the building.  
Then she pulled her hair back, trying to smooth it out.  
She was now 70% sure she was going to be fired.

She wasn’t fired, but she was heavily reprimanded and put on coffee fetching duties for the next fortnight, maybe longer.  
She accepted it gracefully, nodding as her boss told her off and apologising profusely.

-*-

Nat signed into the building, neatly marking her name down as Naomi Rathbone.  
Then she stepped into the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor.

Simon Strike was, as expected, an utter asshole.  
He’d waltzed in a half hour late, told Nat she was going to have fun working with him, then shut himself in his office for meetings.  
At lunch time he’d barked out an order and sent her to collect it.

“I swear to god,” she told Clint when he called for an afternoon check in. “If he tries anything, I will cut him from ear to ear.”  
“Fury told me to tell you anything you do to Strike, he will do to you, so be very careful how you proceed from here,” he said, smirk radiating through the phone.  
“Tell him he’d have to catch me first,” she snapped. “If he keeps me on these shitty babysitting jobs, I will be in the wind.”  
“But then you don’t get paid your exorbitant and extortionate fees.”  
“Fuck off,” she said with a sigh, hanging up on him.

“Rathbone, sweetheart, get me a coffee. They know my order.”  
Strike’s voice echoed through the open door and she sighed heavily.  
“Right away Mr Strike,” she said, tone cheery and fake.  
“And some banana bread too, that’s a good girl.”

Nat swore under her breath, a stream of Russian and French, while she caught the elevator and waited in line at the coffee shop in the square.  
She ordered with a begrudging smile and paid, tapping her foot while she waited on the coffee.  
As she was leaving she saw the girl from the train walking over with another girl.  
Nat scoped her quickly, taking in as much as she could.  
She was tall, her dirty blonde hair pulled back into a braid.  
Her outfit was soft, a pale cardigan and brown skirt, shoes sensible.  
She was pretty but entirely unremarkable, but Nat couldn’t help the prickle across the back of her neck when she looked over and they caught each other’s eye.  
She didn’t seem dangerous, but this was the third time she’d seen Nat in a crowd and picked her out, so when she smiled politely, Nat kept walking, pretending she didn’t notice.

If there was one thing Nat hated, it was being seen when she didn’t want to be.  
Nothing about the girl gave off a “dangerous” vibe, or hinted at anything untoward, and Nat liked to think herself extremely good at reading people.  
Still, she saw her, and that was strange.

Nat returned to the office, gave Strike his coffee and banana bread, and continued digging through his files, searching for anything that could point to illegal behaviour.  
She’d even settle for something that just seemed strange.  
Just something to give Fury so she could leave and work on something real, rather than babysitting.

-*-

Amelia was beyond relieved when Danielle collected her from her desk for lunch.  
“I’m thinking a coffee or eight, and a muffin,” she said as Amelia packed her bag.  
Their pre-standing lunch date was a godsend on long days.  
They’d wandered over to the little coffee shop in the square, Amelia recounting her latest meeting that had ended in two coworkers screaming at each other.  
“HR is the worst job imaginable,” Danielle said with a laugh. “Glad I’m in the accounting section, all we have to worry about is head office calling with a payroll complaint.”  
“I thought you were perfect; what are they complaining about?”  
“I am, and they’re not. Any more.”  
“Ominous,” Amelia said, raising an eyebrow.  
Danielle started to tell her a story, trailing off when she realised Amelia wasn’t listening.  
“Amy… Aaammmy… Amelia?” she asked, turning to see what she was staring at. “Oh, is that her?”  
Amelia was staring at the redhead, waiting in line for her order.  
“What?”  
She turned to Danielle, brow furrowed.  
“Go talk to her!”  
“She’s so out of my league, Anna. And I think she hates me.”  
“You’ve never even spoken to her.”  
“She already looks at me like I’ve killed her dog.”  
“I think that’s just how she looks,” Danielle said thoughtfully, watching the redhead. “It’s the eyebrows.”  
Amelia waved her off, saying “finish your story”.  
“You’re very obvious when you’re trying to change the topic.”  
They stared each other down until Danielle relented.  
“Fine, but then you’re going to tell me about her.”  
“You’re the worst.”

-*-

When the clock hit five, Nat packed up her things and escaped, heading for the subway station before Strike could say or do anything to slow her down.  
He’d been a royal pain in the ass all week, demanding she do menial tasks and trying to keep her late for “one on one chats”, as though he didn’t have an entire floor to himself with her.

She stood at the station, waiting for her train, reading through a report on her phone.  
She’d barely been stood there a minute when someone bumped into her, causing her to lose her grip.  
Catching her phone by its corner, she looked up to see the girl from the train/coffee shop looking at her in horror.  
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands over her mouth. “I didn’t mean to knock into you like that, I just wasn’t watching where I was going.”  
“It’s fine,” Nat said coolly, shrugging.  
“I… Umm… I gotta go, bye, sorry again,” she spluttered out, darting further down the platform before Nat had a chance to respond.

Nat went to Clint’s apartment again, settling at the countertop in the kitchen while he cooked them dinner.  
“She has to be an agent or something, Clint. She’s always around. And she sees me. Actively notices me in a crowd.”  
“Why would she run into you if she was an agent?” he asked with a snort, stirring the pot both literally and figuratively.  
“I don’t know. Maybe to assert dominance? Make sure I know she’s there? No-one says gosh in real life.”  
“Coulson does.”  
“Coulson told you to get fucked the other day.”  
“Coulson says gosh when he’s in public. He only swears when it’s at me.”  
Nat heaved a heavy sigh.  
“I don’t know, Clint. But there’s something going on and I’m not having it.”  
“What are you going to do?”  
“I’m going to sit on it, but if she does anything, _anything_ , that makes me think she’s not squeaky clean, I’m moving on her.”  
“Maybe she just thinks you’re cute,” he suggested, dishing up the soup he had made.  
“Everyone thinks I’m cute,” she said with a shrug, taking the offered bowl.  
“I don’t.”  
“Yes, you do.”

-*-

They ran into each other again at the coffee shop a few days later.  
The girl was waiting in line to order when she stepped back, accidentally stepping on Nat’s foot.  
She turned to apologise, blushing when she realised it was Nat.  
“I swear I’m not following you,” she blurted out.  
Nat raised an eyebrow at her.  
“What an odd thing to say.”  
“Oh no, I just mean because I see you all the time,” she said nervously. “I think we catch the same train in the evening?”  
“Maybe.”  
“I like your hair, by the way. The colour is gorgeous.”  
Nat smiled politely.  
“Thanks.”  
The girl seemingly got the message, turning back around with a muttered “sorry again”.

Once she’d gotten the coffees, Nat called Clint.  
“She’s definitely an agent,” she said when he picked up.  
“How do you figure?” he asked, mouth full of food.  
“She said she wasn’t following me.”  
“That is the universal way of saying that you’re following someone,” he said sarcastically.  
“It is,” she continued, ignoring him. “And makes me even more suspicious. I’m going to follow her.”  
“Nat, stay on mission,” he warned. “You don’t want to be on Fury’s bad side right now. There was a colossal fuck up on the Manchester mission and he’s on the warpath.”  
Nat paused, thinking it over.  
“If she bumps into me again, I’m finding out everything about her that I can.”  
“Fine. Just don’t get distracted. I know you’re bored as shit, but trust me, it’s not worth it if it turns out to be nothing.”  
“Or it’s game over if it is something.”  
“Yes, but, you’re also well equipped to deal with it if something happens. Calm down and think straight.”  
“Fine,” Nat snapped, hanging up on him.

-*-

The next time Amelia saw her, she’d cut her hair, the long curls now sitting at shoulder length.  
She was waiting on the subway platform when Amelia walked over.  
“Guess we do catch the same train!” she said brightly. “I like what you’ve done with your hair. It suits you.”  
The girl glared at her, eyes narrowing.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Amelia said quickly. “I’m heading down the platform anyway.”  
“No, it’s fine, you just surprised me,” she said, voice stilted. “You’re very perceptive.”  
“What?” Amelia asked, tilting her head.  
“The hair.”  
“Oh, no, I just love red hair and I notice things like haircuts. Anyway, I really am heading down the platform. Have a good evening.”  
The girl didn’t say anything else, just watched as Amelia awkwardly made her way, blushing furiously.

“I’m an idiot,” she announced when she got home, throwing herself down on the couch.  
“That’s not news,” her housemate Sam said from the kitchen. “What is news?”  
“The girl, the redhead. I might be in love with her, and I can’t stop putting my foot in it. I’m so bad at talking to people. Especially pretty girls.”  
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Sam said, coming to sit next to her.  
“I told her I like her haircut and she looked at me like I ruined her day. I quit, I’m never speaking to her again.”

-*-

Nat was a lot of things, but she wasn’t naive.  
Coincidences didn’t exist, not to her.  
So when the girl complimented her haircut, she called it then and there.  
Carefully, she followed the girl back to her home, noting the address and setting up on a rooftop to keep surveillance while she looked her up.  
The apartment had three tenants, Samantha Jane Jones, Christie Allen, and Amelia Torst.  
A quick background check lead to nothing of note for any of them, and she quickly deduced Amelia was the one she had met.  
She stayed for a few hours, taking notes and putting together a file.

-*-

Amelia saw her in passing for the next week, at the train station or coffee shop.  
Then she was gone.  
“Christie!” she called when she got home. “Get Sam _and_ Ben and Jerry, I’m having a crisis.”  
“A crisis?” Christie asked, sticking her head out of her bedroom.  
“The redhead is gone. I haven’t seen her in weeks.”  
“Oh Jesus Christ,” Christie sighed. “I’m on it.”  
An hour and two tubs of ice cream later, the three girls were lying on the floor and lamenting lost loves.  
“I definitely once fell in love with a guy after speaking to him once,” Sam said with a heavy sigh. “Then I finished work and I never saw him again.”  
“I didn’t even really speak to her. I don’t even know her name,” Amelia admitted. “I just thought she was gorgeous.”  
“Your poor gay heart,” Christie said seriously, reaching over to tousle Amelia’s hair.  
“My poor gay heart,” she agreed.  
“Shall we watch Clueless?”  
“The true cure to a broken heart,” Sam announced, turning on the TV.

“Oh goodness, what if I drove her away?” Amelia asked suddenly, two glasses into her second bottle of wine and three movies deep into the night. “What if my awkward nonsense made her change what times she goes for coffee or catches the train?”  
“Sweetheart, no, of course not. She probably just got a better job,” Christie said soothingly. They lapsed into silence as Sam hit play on Legally Blonde and poured them all another glass of wine.

-*-

Working for Stark was somehow better and worse than working for Strike.  
Nat had demanded to work anywhere else, doing anything else, but Fury had put her on babysitting duty again.  
At least Stark was interesting, building a suit of armour and playing superhero.  
He was arrogant and a dick, but he wasn’t an absolute asshole.  
“I’d take the job if I could,” Clint said, patting her back when Coulson had given her the assignment. “I’ve heard he’s great in the sack and I’m apparently also his type, but Coulson said he’d be more into you.”  
“That’s so nice to hear, I’m glad I’m his favoured spy,” she said, pushing him off.  
“Take it as a compliment.”  
“Get fucked, Barton.”  
He laughed as she stalked off.

The work was easy, in the end.  
Tony Stark was a lot of things, but evil wasn’t one of them, so she took _some_ satisfaction in her job as babysitter.

Then she ran into the girl again.  
And, once again, it was a literal running into.  
She was holding a stack of papers, not watching where she was going, and ran directly into Nat, almost knocking her over and losing the papers.  
Nat stopped to help her pick them up, handing the pile over before she even realised who it was.  
“Oh, it’s you!” the girl said brightly, taking the papers. “Sorry. Again. And thank you.”  
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Nat said with a wry smile.  
“Sorry, I’m clumsy as heck. Would you believe you’re not the first person I’ve run into today?”  
“I would.”  
“I’m Amelia,” she said, shuffling the papers to hold her hand out.  
Nat shook it carefully.  
“Natalie.”  
“Sorry for running into you, again. This must be the third time.”  
“Something like that,” Nat said dryly. “I have to go, but maybe I’ll run into you again.”  
“I hope so!”  
Nat nodded at her, then took off, calling Clint as she walked.

“Okay, that’s it. I ran into her again.”  
“Come over for dinner,” he said gruffly, then hung up.

“She might be the best agent I’ve ever met,” she complained to him as they ate. “She’s perfected the doe eyed, sweet angel, ‘I could never hurt a fly’ routine.”  
“Or she’s just nice?” he suggested.  
“Or she’s proving a point. That she can find me no matter where I am.”  
“Coincidence?”  
“I don’t believe in coincidences.”  
“Nat, I checked her out the first time you told me about her. She’s clean.”  
“If you look me up, I’m clean.”  
“Do you not trust my sources? I’m wounded.”  
He put his hand over his heart, pouting at her.  
“Seriously, I’ve got a weird feeling about her.”  
“I can scope her out again if you want?” he asked seriously. “I’ll be very discrete.”  
“Nah, I can handle this one.”  
“Just don't shoot her unless you’re sure, паук.”  
“I’ll be very discrete,” she said, repeating his words back to him with a grin.

-*-

Amelia was walking on air, in a figurative sense.  
She was headed home, in the alley behind her apartment block, and giving herself a mental high five.  
She’d managed to get her paper handed in on time, had some celebratory drinks with friends, and she had also run into the hot redhead that afternoon.  
“Natalie,” she said with a happy sigh.  
“That’s my name,” came a sharp voice behind her.  
She turned to see the girl in question standing behind her.  
It was dark, almost midnight, and the sight of Natalie standing there was intimidating enough to make Amelia jump.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“Who are you?” Natalie countered, hands on hips.  
“Amelia?” she asked, confused.  
“Who are you really?”  
Nat took a step forward slowly, menacingly.  
“What?”  
“Who are you and what do you want with me?”  
“I… nothing? No-one? I’m just trying to get home, I have no idea what you mean.”  
“Who. Are. You?” Natalie repeated, hand moving to her holster.  
“I’m just me,” Amelia insisted, taking a step back. “I’m not anyone. I’m just Amelia.”  
“I don’t believe you.”  
“What? I don’t… Holy heck, is that a gun? Why do you have a gun?”  
Amelia threw her hands up in the air, taking another step back and starting to babble.  
“I’m going to throw up! This is insane, what do you want from me?”  
Natalie paused, watching as she panicked.  
“Wait, what?” she asked, eyes narrowing.  
“I don’t know who you think I am, but I didn’t mean for this at all, I was just trying to be friendly!”  
“I don’t know who you are, that’s my fucking problem,” Natalie snapped, eyeing her suspiciously.  
“I’m no-one!” she insisted.  
Natalie stepped forward, crossing her arms.  
“Then why do I keep seeing you around and why are you always looking at me?” she asked, voice dangerous and low.  
“Oh my god, I think you’re hot!" Amelia exclaimed. "And your hair is so pretty, I just wanna touch it. And I guess New York is one of those places where you always see someone you know! I’m not following you, I promise, I just keep seeing you. And you seemed cool so I wanted to get to know you!”  
Amelia was starting to get hysterical, shoulders heaving.  
“I swear, I’m going to vomit in a second.”  
“Oh, fuck me, you’re just unlucky,” Natalie said, taking a step back.  
“Not as unlucky as you, паук” a man called, jumping from the fire escape beside them.  
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she snapped at him as he walked over.  
“Watching this train wreck unfold. I told you she was just nice.”  
Amelia started hiccuping, bent over with her hands on her knees.  
“I said she was clean, you absolute wreck of a human.”  
“Old habits,” Natalie snapped, before turning to Amelia, voice softening. “Fuck, I’m so sorry Amelia, I’m an idiot.”  
“You sure are,” the man said cheerfully.  
“This is fucked,” Amelia choked out. “Please don’t hurt me.”  
He turned to her, taking a step forward with his hands out.  
“Hey, don’t worry, just a big misunderstanding. Nat wasn’t going to hurt you, she just got confused,” he said, in a soothing tone.  
“I would like to go home,” she said quietly, brushing tears from her face and standing up straight.  
“And she’s tough too,” he said with a kind smile. “Come on, we’ll get you home.”  
She was obviously in shock, and he herded her to the apartment, unlocking the door with her keys and sitting her on the couch.  
“Nat, make her some tea,” he commanded, crouching in front of Amelia.  
“On it,” Natalie said, heading into the kitchen with a nod.  
“You okay there, Amelia?” he asked kindly.  
“I dunno,” she said, sniffling. “I have no idea what’s going on, and I just let two people with guns into my house.”  
“They’re not for you, don’t worry. We’re on the level.”  
“What level?”  
“Nat, show her your badge.”  
He and Nat pulled out their SHIELD badges, holding them out to her.  
Cautiously, like it might bite, she took his.  
“SHIELD? Like… Captain America and secret agents? That SHIELD?”  
“Nail on the head, sweetheart,” he told her with a smile. “I’m Clint.”  
“This isn’t happening.”  
“I’m afraid it is.”  
“We have to take her to Fury,” Natalie said, putting a teabag in a mug of hot water and handing it to Amelia.  
“Nah, she’ll be right,” Clint said, sitting down properly on the ground.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Nat, do you really want to tell Fury that you scared a random girl who thought you were hot because you got it into your head that she was a secret agent?”  
“No, I really don’t.”  
“Then she’ll be fine,” he told her definitively.  
“Wait, you thought I was an agent?” Amelia asked, looking up at Nat, confused.  
“Kinda, yeah,” Natalie admitted.  
“How in the world? I’m literally the most useless person in the universe. I fall over constantly and I can’t lie to save myself.”  
“I thought it was a really good cover?” Natalie offered, rubbing the back of her neck. “I don’t know, the whole wide eyed ‘the world is wonderful’ thing can’t be real. You’re always so… smiley."  
“Sorry for being nice, I guess,” Amelia said, shrugging helplessly.  
“No one has ever noticed me or run into me like you, so I thought you were tailing me and doing it on purpose.”  
“I couldn’t stop looking at you because you’re gorgeous and also you’re nice to talk to. When you do talk, that is.”  
“This is... unexpected.”  
“Should I leave you two alone?” Clint asked with a grin.  
“Fuck off, Clint,” Natalie snapped.  
“My mama always warned me I was too nice for my own good,” Amelia said, taking a drink of the tea. “I don’t think this is what she was worried about though.”  
Clint laughed, loudly.  
“Don’t worry, this will never happen to you again. Probably.”  
“That makes me feel really good, thank you,” she said dryly.  
“I’m going to head out, now that you’re okay. If you aren’t okay, call SHIELD, ask for Clint Barton. I’ll look after you. We’re open 24/7 and I’m usually pretty easy to find.”  
He scribbled a number on a loose piece of paper.  
“Okay. Thank you I guess.”  
She yawned, adrenaline starting to wear off.  
“The least I can do,” he told her. “If you want Nat to go too, just say so, but I get the feeling she wants to talk to you alone.”  
Amelia nodded slowly, eyebrows furrowed.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll take her weapons.”  
With a wink, he took the gun and knives Natalie held out, and left, shutting the door softly behind him.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, standing on the opposite end of the lounge room. “I really did think… I’m kinda new to not being hunted.”  
“I’d say it’s okay, but I honestly don’t know if it is.”  
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”  
“Moot point now,” Amelia snapped. “I think I’m dehydrated from crying.”  
“Drink the tea, it’ll help. I promise I didn’t put anything in it, just water and a teabag.”  
She did, begrudgingly.  
“So what do I do now?”  
“Go back to your life and forget my face.”  
Amelia laughed bleakly.  
“I don’t think I can forget your face now.”  
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make it better. You’re better off pretending this never happened.”  
“Is that what you say to all the girls?” she asked dryly.  
Natalie laughed softly.  
“I’ve never made a mistake like this before, if that helps at all. And I can count on one hand the amount of people I’ve apologised to. Even fewer have been apologised to twice.”  
“And here I was thinking I was unlucky for getting on your bad side. Turns out I’m incredibly lucky to get two ‘I’m sorry’s in the space of five minutes,” she said.  
“Get ready for a third. I’m sorry Amelia. I wish I could make it up to you.”  
“You could try.”  
“How?”  
“I don’t know.”  
Amelia sighed heavily, then yawned.  
“You should get some sleep,” Natalie said, frowning. “I'm so sorry for this evening. I fucked everything all up. And now you have to suffer for it.”  
“It’s okay,” Amelia mumbled, rubbing her face. “I’ll muddle my way through.”  
“As a token, take this.”  
She held out a card to her, her name and number on it.  
“Ring this number, and I will come. But you only get three calls. Make sure to save them for emergencies”  
“Oh, okay,” Amelia said, sitting up and taking the card.  
“You need me, any time, anywhere, you call.”  
“So all it took to get your number was for you to scare me half to death,” she said, mouth set in a hard line.  
“Next time I’ll try to be more receptive to pretty girls trying to talk to me.”  
“I’m pretty now, am I?”  
“Beautiful.”  
Amelia laughed, hollowly.  
“That would mean so much more if you weren’t saying it after all that… Although, you did think I was a spy, so maybe it’s even more of a compliment.”  
“You’re a funny one, Amelia.”  
“I try,” she said with a shrug. “I need to go to bed, call my boss and take a week off, and try and deal with all… this.”  
She gestured vaguely with her hand.  
“Clint was serious about helping. He’s got all sorts of connections, he can get you sorted for anything. Therapy is important.”  
“I will if you will,” Amelia said, an eyebrow raised. “Get some help so you stop scaring random girls.”  
“I’ll take it under advisement. Go to bed, Amelia, get some rest. I’ll organise work for you, if you like?”  
“How… Oh right, secret agent, super spy.”  
“I’m sorry, that’s probably really uncomfortable, isn’t it?”  
“Yeah, it’s unsettling to say the least.”  
“I’m going to go,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I fucked it all up.”  
“I’ll be fine, eventually.”  
“In another lifetime, we could have been good friends.”  
“If you apologise again, I will throw this mug at your head,” Amelia said tiredly. “You’ve said it like six times now. Enough.”  
Natalie nodded once, then opened the front door.  
“Remember the card. Any time, I will find you and help.”

-*-

Nat was… off-kilter.  
She got into an argument with Stark that almost lead to her being terminated, managed to drop the ball on a mission briefing, and was knocked on her ass by Clint in training.  
“She’ll be fine,” Clint snapped at her after she had gotten upright again. “It’s been three weeks, and she’s back at work and seemingly well adjusted.”  
“She’s traumatised, Clint. It’ll take her years to work through that.”  
“I told you not to go after her.”  
“I know!” Nat yelled. “I know you told me, and I know it was stupid, and now I’ve fucked her up because of my paranoia.”  
“Jesus, calm down.”  
“I can’t fix it, and now she has to deal with the fallout. I’m just really fucking sick of ruining good people’s lives. I’m meant to be on the good side now, taking down evil monsters, not scaring random girls half to death.”  
“Nat…” he started, but she cut him off.  
“She’s only 25, Clint. And she was just being friendly.”  
“You’re 24,” he reminded her. “And you’ve spent your entire life on the run. It’s really shit that she’s the one you took that out on, but really, it’s not surprising you’re a paranoid wreck. You’ve been built like this.”  
“You’re not helping.”  
“This might: she spoke to me.”  
Nat stilled instantly, eyes widening.  
“She called, we talked. I gave her some very vague details about your life, and pointed her in the direction of people trained to deal with therapy for shit like this. I check in on her too. Honestly, she blames you a lot less than a normal person would.”  
“Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“Because I was waiting for you to ask, паук.”  
“You’re an asshole, Clinton Barton.”  
“And you’re a brat, Natasha Romanov.”

-*-

It had been three months since she’d been ambushed and Amelia was feeling surprisingly okay about the whole affair.  
The business card Natalie had given her sat on her bedside where she’d dropped it, and although Amelia kept meaning to throw it out, for some reason she just couldn’t bring herself to.  
She called in sick for work the day after the Alley Incident, as she’d been referring to it, and bluffed a doctor for a three day medical certificate.

The first day was a Monday, and that night she’d stayed in bed rather than hanging out with her housemates, something she’d never done before.  
Christie knocked on her door softly, asking if she was alright, and Sam brought her dinner, leaving it at her door.  
“If you wanna talk, we’re here,” Sam said through the door as she left the plate.

On the second day, she’d called SHIELD, asking for Clint and being put through immediately.  
Apparently he’d let the staff know to keep an ear out for her call.  
The conversation with Clint had been enlightening, to say the least.  
The few details he’d given her about Natalie (or Natasha, as the card she’d given Amelia had said) and her background had been enough to piece together a long, sad story about a young girl brainwashed and raised to kill.  
The whole thing left Amelia confused and with a sour taste in her mouth.  
To think of a child being raised like that had shaken her, more than the actual ambush in the alley had.  
Clint had given her his direct number and told her to call him every so often to check in, at least until he was sure she wasn’t going to have a breakdown.  
They hung up the phone as something resembling friends, and Amelia worried her lip with her teeth as she wondered where exactly everything had gotten so messed up.  
“Probably around the time you put yourself on the radar of a paranoid ex-assassin,” she told her reflection, pulling a face at herself in the mirror.

After the three days off, she’d returned to work.  
It was easier than sitting at home, giving her something to do rather than think in silence.

Slowly, she sorted out her thoughts and got herself back to baseline.  
It helped to know a little more about how exactly Natalie had been raised, had worked, up until Clint had taken her to SHIELD.  
“And I thought my family was bad,” she muttered one night, as she stirred sauce into her pasta. “At least they never sold me.”

It had been three months to the day since the Alley Incident, and Amelia called Clint to tell him.  
“I guess the whole thing is, is that I know it’s over? It’s not going to happen again, ever,” she said tentatively into the phone.  
Clint’s voice was tinny as he hummed in agreement.  
“Yeah, it’s not like you’re in the middle of danger. Or that anyone will be looking for you. There’s absolutely nothing to tie you to us in any way.”  
“Except that you appeared at my house at 11pm on a Sunday.”  
“Oh, don’t worry, Nat has expunged any records that might put you in any kind of danger.”  
“Can you ask her to raise my GPA while she’s there?”  
He laughed softly  
“I thought you finished your masters?”  
“I’ve been thinking that being called Dr Amelia Torst might be worth the effort of a PhD. I much prefer being called ‘doctor’ to ‘miss’.”  
“A PhD does not a doctor make,” Clint said sagely. “Anyway, did you want something, or were you just calling for your weekly mental health check in?”  
“Mostly the check in.”  
“So you’re okay?”  
“Yeah, I think I am.”  
“You’re surprisingly well-adjusted, Ames.”  
“I’m a wonder child,” she deadpanned, and he laughed, louder this time.  
“You sure are.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three calls, three emergencies
> 
> (Or: Amelia Is Anxious And Afraid, Nat Is There To Help)

An unknown number lit up Nat’s phone with an incoming call.  
“Who is this?” she asked when she picked it up.  
“Amelia. Please, help me.”  
She was crying, loudly.  
“Where are you?”  
“I’m home,” she sobbed.   
“What’s the situation?”  
“In the bathroom… I locked the door but I’m scared. Please come quick.”  
“On my way,” Nat said, hanging up the phone and running out the door.  
Her phone rang again, the name Barton flashing up along with a picture of Clint, face stuffed full of dumplings.  
“Where are you off to?” Clint asked when she picked up. “Haven’t seen you move that fast in months.”  
“Amelia called.”  
“Oh shit, really?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Godspeed, Romanov.”

She pulled up to the curb, jumping off her bike and sprinting up the stairs to her apartment.  
“Amelia,” she said softly, drawing her gun and pushing open the apartment door. “You there?”  
Amelia was curled up on the kitchen floor, sniffling.  
Nat crouched beside her, taking stock of the tear tracks running down her face.  
“Injured at all?”  
She shook her head.  
“Anyone else at home?”  
“No.”  
“Still in the bathroom?”  
She nodded, burying her face in her hands.  
Nat stood, flattening herself against the wall and quietly heading through the apartment.

The apartment was silent as Nat carefully picked through the rooms, scoping out each one with her gun in hand.  
The first bathroom had the door open and window closed, and she moved on without pausing, heading to the master ensuite.

Nat stilled when she entered the bedroom.  
The bathroom door was closed and the handle wedged shut with a chair.  
A blanket was shoved in the crack under the door.  
She set about removing the blanket and chair, moving quietly but quickly.  
She pushed the door open, dropping into a crouch and holding the gun up.  
There was no-one inside.  
Nat stood, confused.  
The window was locked from the inside and there was no sign of anything untoward.

“Hey, Amelia?” Nat called, holstering her gun.  
“Did you get it?” came the panicked response.  
“Get what?”  
“In the sink!”  
Nat looked over to see a spider, perched on the drain.  
“Seriously?” she called.

Nat walked out and into the kitchen, crouching beside Amelia who was still crying quietly.  
“Spider?” she asked softly.  
“Did you get it?”   
"Not yet. Do you have a box or container?”  
Amelia pointed to a cupboard, screwing up her face.  
Nat reached over to pat her shoulder, then opened the cupboard and picked out a clean Chinese container and lid.

Three minutes later the spider had been deposited out of a window and Nat was back in the kitchen, sitting next to Amelia on the floor, who had finally calmed down.  
“So, all that was for a spider?”  
“Don’t judge me please.”  
“We all fear something,” she said, touching Amelia’s arm lightly. “Are you okay?”  
“I am now,” Amelia said, squaring her shoulders.  
“Did you have a bad experience with one?”  
“What? Oh, no. Nothing like that. I just hate them. I’m not good with bugs in general.”  
Nat nodded.  
“So… Natasha is your real name? That’s what it said on the card.”  
“Call me Nat.”  
“Okay, Nat.”  
They sat in silence for a few moments, Nat crosslegged, Amelia with her knees pulled up against her chest.  
“Why did you call me?”  
“I didn’t know who else to. And I figured you wouldn’t laugh at me.”  
Nat made a non-committal noise, then sighed.  
“Happy to help. Nice change of pace to the usual emergencies I deal with.”

They sat together for half an hour, Amelia talking about how she discovered the spider (“I was trying to have a shower, got the water running and everything before I noticed it”).

“I should go,” Nat said eventually, standing.  
She stretched, rolling her neck and shoulders.  
“Yeah, probably,” Amelia agreed.  
Nat smiled down at her, then tentatively reached to pat her head.  
“I’m sorry, I know it was silly,” Amelia said, scrunching up her face. “But I really appreciate it.”  
“It’s okay Amelia. Though you did worry me. I thought someone was after you.”  
“Why would anyone be after me?”  
“Something something ex-assassin,” Nat said dryly.  
Amelia grinned, then her face fell.  
“I didn’t think of that, sorry.”  
“Hard to think straight when there’s a spider in your bathroom.”“I… can’t tell if you’re making a joke or not.”  
Nat smirked.  
“No-one can. Courtesy of the training and my carefully plucked eyebrows.”  
Amelia stood slowly, leaning against the kitchen counter.  
She watched Nat intently, biting her lip.  
“What?” Nat asked softly, placing her hand on her arm.  
“I wasn’t sure you’d come. Or even pick up the call.”  
“I told you, ring and I’d come. Now you’ve used one of your three.”  
“I was hoping this could be free trial, considering it was only a spider,” Amelia said with a smile.  
“Only a spider?” Nat asked, raising an eyebrow.  
“Okay, fine, I’ve used one of my calls.”  
“Two more, Amelia. Any time, any reason.”  
Amelia nodded, and Nat gave her forearm a squeeze.  
“See you for the next emergency,” Nat said softly, then she was gone, out the door and down the hall.

She called Clint on the ride home.  
He picked up on the second ring.  
“Clint,” she said quickly. “It was a spider. I thought she was getting robbed or attacked, and it was a fucking spider.”  
“Holy shit!”  
Clint started laughing hysterically.  
“All that for a spider?” he gasped out.  
“She was hysterical on the phone; I honestly thought she was about to die.”  
“This is the best thing I’ve ever heard. You sure I can’t tell anyone about her? Maria would love this.”  
“Don’t you dare!”  
“I won’t, keep your wig on.”  
“I’ll have you know this is my natural hair.”  
“Yeah, all that red is completely natural, no boosting or anything.”  
“Fuck you,” she snapped, hanging up on him.  
She sighed heavily.  
“What a fucking day,” she said out loud, rubbing her hand across face.

-*-

A month later, Nat’s phone rang again, Amelia’s name flashing up on the screen.  
She picked up immediately.  
“What’s going on, Amelia?”  
“Spider again,” she cried, and Nat had to fight a smile.  
“I’m on my way. ETA 13 minutes.”  
She gave an excuse to Pepper, and ran out of the office.

This time Amelia met her out the front.  
“So, a spider again? Really?” Nat asked, eyebrow raised.  
Amelia nodded, staring at her feet.  
“In the kitchen this time. I couldn’t get past it so I just left.”  
“Alright, come on.”

Nat started upstairs, pausing at her apartment door.  
Amelia had crept through the hall behind her, close enough that their arms brushed.  
“Do you want to help me?” Nat asked softly.  
“Please don’t make me,” Amelia said, voice wavering slightly.  
“I would never.”

Amelia unlocked the door and Nat stepped through, turning to the kitchen.  
The spider was on one of the cupboards, stretched out.  
Nat had to admit it was big, much bigger than the usual spiders she’d see around.  
It took six minutes from stepping into the apartment to getting rid of the spider.  
She collected it in a box, then dropped it out the window onto the fire escape, shooing it away and closing the windows so it couldn’t get back in.

“Was it the same one?” Amelia asked immediately, when she stepped back out into the hallway. “I bet it was the same one.”  
“It wasn’t.”  
“Are you sure? Because that spider was out to get me, and I knew it was going to come back for vengeance!”  
“It wasn’t the same spider, I promise you. And it’s gone now, so you don’t have to think about it again.”  
Amelia’s face split into a grin and she stepped forward to wrap Nat in a hug.  
Nat was surprised, and it took her a few seconds for her brain to catch up, looping her arms around Amelia’s waist and squeezing softly.  
Then she let go, stepping quickly out of Amelia’s grasp.  
“I… Uh… Sorry,” Amelia said awkwardly. “I didn’t even think. You probably don’t like hugs much, do you?”  
Nat shrugged.  
“It’s fine. But now that we’ve dealt with the spider, we’re going for food.”   
“Are you sure?” Amelia asked, eyebrows furrowing.  
“Yep, follow me.”  
Nat started off down the hall, not waiting for Amelia.  
“Wait, wait, wait,” Amelia said, locking her door and running to catch up.   
“Not a chance, Amelia. Catch up,” Nat said, without pausing.

They ended up at a Thai place, sitting in silence while they ate.  
Once they’d finished, Nat watched Amelia intently.  
“What?” Amelia asked, fidgeting in her seat. “Do I have something on my face?”  
“No,” Nat said quickly. “What happened?”  
“With the spider?”  
“Yeah.”  
“I went out this morning, then when I came back it was sitting on the counter, staring at me. Menacingly.”  
Nat laughed softly.  
“Where are your housemates?”  
“At work.”  
“Why are they never around when there are spiders around?”  
“One’s a bartender and one’s a nurse. They’re not really around much, shift work and all.”  
“So you basically live alone for a third of the price?”  
“And I get the master bedroom and ensuite, so they don’t even wake me when they’re getting ready.”  
“You seem like the kind of person who’d get lonely like that.”  
“Sometimes,” Amelia said with a shrug. “It’s not all bad; we hang out on Mondays. That’s the only night we all have off so we always do something together.”  
“That sounds nice. What about your family?”  
“Only child. Parents live in Vermont.”  
“Is that where you grew up?”  
“What’s with the 20 questions?”  
“I’m trying to get to know you,” Nat said flippantly. “You don’t make it easy.”  
“I’m an open book. You’re not.”  
“I’m… Yeah, you’re right,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not. Nature of the job.”  
Amelia tilted her head, considering Nat thoughtfully.  
“Yeah, I grew up in Vermont," she said eventually. “Moved here to study.”  
“Tell me about your degree?”  
“Don’t you know about that?”  
“Tell me anyway,” Nat said softly. “Pretend I know nothing about you.”  
“I did my bachelor in psychology, then kinda fell into HR. Did my masters in that.”  
“Is that what you do at work? HR?”  
“Yep. Some days it’s great, some days it’s the worst thing in the world. Makes you super aware of interpersonal relationships and how awful some people are. Ratchets your ability to empathise right up though.”  
“Do you like it?”  
The question surprised Amelia, who thought over her answer as she finished her drink.  
“Yeah, I do. Money’s worth it, at the very least.”  
She grinned and Nat smiled carefully.  
“Are you gonna tell me anything about you?”  
“I’m Russian originally,” Nat said. “I live alone, but I spend a lot of time with Clint.”  
“He seems nice,” Amelia said carefully. “From what little I know of him.”  
“He saved my life.”  
“Is danger also a frequent part of the job?”  
“Always has been.”  
“What else?”  
“What?”  
“Tell me more about you.”Amelia said it softly, requesting more than demanding, and Nat frowned.  
“If you want," she said quickly. "I mean, you don’t have to.”  
“I hate apples. I think they’re the worst food in the world,” Nat said eventually. “I love tea, especially black tea. My favourite movie is Pitch Perfect. I like dogs and cats the same, but I really hate birds. I can speak a lot of languages, but I grew up speaking Russian. I got rid of the accent myself, but sometimes you can hear it, especially when I’m tired. I can’t sleep unless I’ve double checked every single window, door, cupboard, and under the bed. I much prefer the cold to the heat, and I hate the beach.”  
“I think you’ve just rattled through every first date topic in one go,” Amelia said with a smile. “What music do you listen to?”  
“Not a lot. Mostly stuff like Garbage and Joan Jett. What about you?”  
“I just listen to whatever is on the radio.”  
“No, I mean it’s your turn. Tell me about you.”  
“Oh. Well, I drink three coffees a day, minimum. My hair is a frizzy nightmare unless I use a lot of products in it, and I’m always 15 minutes late to everything. I really like Sailor Moon and Ghibli movies, and I love wine. My housemates are my best friends, and I met them both at my cousin’s birthday party a few years ago.”  
“So if this were a date, I should ask you to come back to my apartment for wine and Totoro?”  
“I prefer Spirited Away.”  
“I haven’t seen it.”  
“I have it at home, if you want to watch it,” Amelia said, reddening slightly. “Or borrow it. You could borrow it.”  
“That would be nice,” Nat said softly, smiling at her.  
“Which one? Watching or borrowing?”  
“The first one.”  
“Oh… Oh… Yeah, you can come over. I don’t have any wine, but seeing as it’s only one in the afternoon, it’s probably not drinking time anyway.”  
“That’s fine,” Nat told her, standing. “Shall we?”

The trip back to Amelia’s apartment was quiet, the two of them walking at a slow and comfortable pace.  
They walked side by side, arms brushing as they wandered down the streets.

“It’s not wine, but it’ll do just as well,” Amelia said, holding two wine glasses full of orange juice.  
She handed one to Nat, who stifled a laugh, then sat beside her on the couch, turning on the television.  
“Ready for the best movie that Miyazaki has ever made?” she asked, grinning at Nat.  
“I shall reserve my judgement, but Princess Mononoke is the best in my books.”  
“Give it 15 minutes and you will be singing the praises of Chihiro and Haku.”  
Nat laughed, then nudged Amelia with her elbow.  
“Put the damn movie on, then I’ll decide how I like it.”

They watched quietly, Nat watching the movie as Amelia watched her.  
Nat got very into movies, Amelia discovered, moving further and further forward as she watched.  
At first she sat back, then she leant forward as No Face was introduced, elbows on her knees, face in her hands.  
By the end of the movie she was perched on the edge of the couch, juice forgotten.  
As Chihiro talked about her shoe in the river, Nat reached out, gripping onto Amelia’s forearm softly.  
When the movie reached its ending, a final look from Chihiro back to the bathhouse, her grip tightened, like iron on Amelia’s arm.  
As the credits started rolling, Nat sat back, releasing Amelia’s arm with a sheepish smile.  
“Sorry, I should have warned you,” she said softly.  
“What? That you get grabby when movies get emotional?”  
“I get grabby in all movies, no matter what’s happening,” she said petulantly, then blushed.  
“It’s okay,” Amelia told her, smiling at her. “I take it you enjoyed it?”  
“It’s in the top five.”  
“Better than Princess Mononoke?” Amelia tried, elbowing her in the side.  
Nat jumped, frowning comically at her.  
“It’s… Hmmmm… I couldn’t say. Maybe a very close second?”  
Amelia clicked her tongue at her.  
“You just don’t like being wrong.”  
“I’ve never been wrong in my life.”  
“You thought I was a spy.”  
“I have been wrong once in my life,” Nat amended, face splitting into a grin.  
“I’m sure Clint would have something to say about that.”  
“He would never sell me out like that.”  
Amelia snorted, then covered her face with her hands, giggling.  
“He’d sell you out for a corn chip,” she managed around laughter.  
“You know him better than I thought,” Nat said with raised eyebrows.  
“I’ve had a chat or two with him. He’s easy to figure out.”  
“Never holds anything back,” Nat said ruefully, shaking her head.  
“Unlike you.”  
She said it softly, kindly, and offered a soft smile to Nat.  
“Would you believe that I’m really trying?”  
“I would. I do.”  
Nat’s phone rang, the sound making them both jump.  
She checked the ID and sighed, standing.  
“I have to go, I’m sorry.”  
Amelia shrugged, sitting up on the couch to watch her.  
“That’s okay. Thank you for coming. And thank you for staying.”  
“You’ve used two now,” Nat said, reaching to tuck some of Amelia’s hair behind her ear. “Only one more.”  
“I’ll save it for something important then,” Amelia said softly, staring up at her with wide eyes.  
Nat sighed, then leant down, pressing a kiss to Amelia’s forehead.  
She paused for a moment,   
“Until next time, Amelia,” she said, heading out, closing the door with a click behind her.

Amelia sat for a moment, worrying her lip with her teeth.   
Then she scrunched her face up, picked up the wine glasses, and went to put them in the sink.

-*-

Nat groaned when her phone started ringing, tightening her grip around the guy’s throat then dropping him to the floor.  
“I swear I left this at home,” she said, picking up her phone and taking the call.  
“Nat!”  
“Amelia?”  
“I’m calling in my third favour,” Amelia said desperately.  
“Spider again? I swear you have an infestation.”  
“I can’t explain it, please, just come over,” she managed, words running together.  
“Give me 20 minutes,” Nat said calmly. “As soon as I can, I’ll be there.”  
There was a faint sound like an explosion, then she hung up.  
“I may have misjudged that,” Amelia said out loud, placing the phone down on the table.

Nat climbed in through her window 22 minutes later, looking like she’d come straight from a war zone.  
She might have, Amelia realised, as she watched her land primly on the floor.  
“What’s the damage?” Nat asked, stepping towards her, reaching to place her hands on her shoulders.  
She inspected Amelia’s face closely, noting the worry evident in her furrowed brow.  
“Okay, it’s kind of a long story, but I have to go to a party thing for someone at work but I’m really anxious about going alone so you have to come with me,” Amelia blurted out, blushing slightly.  
Nat paused.  
She blinked once, twice, then her whole face morphed into a look of confusion.  
“The emergency is… you have a party?”  
“Please, Nat, please come with me. I’ve never been to anything really social with any of them and I’m so worried.”  
“You understand that this is your last favour, right? After this I won’t just be swooping in to save you if there’s another spider or if you’re ever in actual danger.”  
“I know, but this is big. I really need you to come with me,” Amelia said quietly, wringing her hands.  
“I fought through a base to get here as fast as I could. And this, this is your emergency?”  
“… Yes?”  
Nat shrugged.   
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she said with a grin. “How much time do we have?”  
“It’s okay if… wait, you will? Oh, we have about 3 minutes if we want to be on time. You can shower here if you want,” Amelia said, smiling tentatively at her. “And I have clothes you can borrow; I think we’re about the same size.”  
She paused, gesturing to the tactical catsuit Nat was currently wearing.  
“You can wear that if you really want, but it’s more of a bar drinks vibe so I don’t know if you’ll fit in too well wearing that. And I know you don’t like people noticing you.”  
Nat laughed, then headed to shower and get ready.

“Do you own any black? Like, at all?” Nat called from the bedroom.  
“Not really. I’m more of a denim kinda girl.”  
She walked out of the room wearing jeans and an oversized sweater, towelling her hair off.  
“I borrowed your shampoo, I hope that’s okay.”  
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” Amelia said, swallowing hard. “Use whatever you want.”

“So, what’s our cover?” Nat asked as they climbed the stairs from the subway station.  
Amelia turned to her, confused.  
“Cover?”  
“The story we’re telling people?”  
Nat shifted her weight from foot to foot, suddenly self-conscious.  
“I work with them so… I don’t… really… need one,” Amelia said, shrugging helplessly.  
“Right. Well, what are you telling them about me?”  
“I’ve mentioned this girl before, to a couple of them,” Amelia started casually as she lead Nat through the street. “She’s gorgeous, with red hair and huge green eyes, and I keep making a complete fool of myself in front of her. I tried to impress her at the coffee shop because she was working right near us for a while. Sometimes we’d catch the train together, too. Anyway, she didn’t give me the time of day until we ran into each other in a dark alley and scared the heck out of each other. Then we swapped numbers and she saved me from spiders, twice. And then I asked her to come for drinks with me.”  
“This girl got a name?” Nat asked.  
“Natalie. That’s what she told me when we met, so that’s what I’m going with.”  
“Natalie? She sounds fun.”  
“Unfortunately she wasn’t available at short notice, so you’ll have to do.”  
Nat snorted.  
“You really told your work friends about me?” she asked, fighting to sound casual.  
“And my housemates. Sam kept asking about the hot redhead whenever I saw her. It was really irritating, and she laughed at me when I complained about doing something silly.”  
“Like what?”  
“Like asking if it’s possible to fall in love with someone after seeing them on the subway for three seconds.”  
She slipped her hand into Nat’s, stepping forward.  
“This is it,” she said, nodding her head at the bar. “You still have time to back out. No pressure.”  
Nat stopped, tugging Amelia towards her.  
“No pressure? You called me mid-mission to demand I come over for an emergency, then told me the emergency was work drinks and we had three minutes to get ready. Didn’t give me much chance to refuse.”  
Amelia paled slightly.  
“Gosh, yeah, I’m sorry,” she said, visibly panicking. “You can refuse now; I won’t hold it against you.”  
Nat laughed softly.  
“Not a chance, cолнышко,” she said, leaning forward to brush her nose against Amelia’s.  
“Sol-nish-ka?”  
“Little sun.”  
Amelia smiled.  
“It suits you.”  
“I’m taller than you.”  
“Details,” Nat said with a shrug.  
“I know I’ve used up all my favours,” Amelia said tentatively. “But can I ask you for one more thing?”  
Their noses were still touching, and Nat huffed out a laugh.  
“Sure.”  
“Kiss me?”

“Okay, one last thing?” Amelia asked as they walked through the door, hand in hand.  
“Depends.”  
“Can I introduce you as my girlfriend?”  
“What?”  
“I mean, if you want? Do you want to be? My girlfriend?”  
Nat’s face split into a grin.  
“I do, cолнышко, I really do.”

Drinks were fun, even though she had to half carry Amelia out of the bar after one too many beers.

“Did you just use your social anxiety to take me on a date?” Nat asked suddenly, as they walked to the subway station.  
Amelia grinned at her.  
“I sure did,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.  
She then promptly walked into a pole and fell on her ass.  
“This is definitely a date to remember,” Nat said dryly, helping Amelia up and checking her forehead for lumps.  
“This whole thing has been pretty memorable.”  
“Good or bad?”  
“Depends on the part,” Amelia said wryly, wrapping her arm around Nat’s waist and kissing her cheek.  
“I’d say it’s been mostly good though,” she told Nat. “Mostly.”  
“Wanna just get a cab?” Nat asked, reaching to run her thumb along Amelia’s cheek.  
“Thank god. I didn’t want to be the one to suggest it.”  
“Why?”  
“It feels like defeat to have to catch a cab after a night out. Especially one that ended at 11pm.”  
Nat laughed and she grinned.  
“It’s not defeat if you’ve got somewhere better to be."  
"I've got two bottles of wine and a whole collection of Ghibli at home."  
"Then what are we waiting for?"

Amelia pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then moved, hailing a cab and tugging Nat along behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of the proper story, just a little bonus to come whenever I get a chance to finish that up!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are we going to talk about the irony of her being afraid of spiders?”
> 
> Just a little ditty about Clint

Clint laughed as he climbed off the fire escape, swaggering down the alley with an empty container.

He was halfway down the alley when there was a bloodcurdling shriek from the apartment behind him.

By the time he climbed into his car, his phone was ringing.  
He took off, picking up the call as he drove.  
“What’s up?” he asked.  
“Amelia called again.”  
Nat’s voice was strained, and Clint stifled a laugh.  
“Situation?”  
“Will fill you in later.”  
“Go get her, Romanov.”  
Nat hung up.

Clint headed to base, picking up food on the way and settling in to watch a movie.  
Several hours later Nat opened the door, throwing herself down on the couch beside him.  
“That bad?” he asked, offering her popcorn.  
“Yes. Well, no. Spider again.”  
“Dealing with a spider took three hours?”  
Nat sighed heavily.  
“No, about six minutes.”  
“Then what took you so long?”  
“We got food afterwards. Then watched a movie.”  
Clint turned to her, surprised.  
“Seriously? What happened to not wanting to get more involved?”  
Nat shoved him, taking the popcorn bowl and digging in.  
“You think she’s cute,” Clint said, laughing when Nat glared at him.  
“I think she deserves better than to have two secret agents ambush her.”  
“So you took her for a date?”  
Nat groaned, slumping.  
“Yes, okay? Yes, I think she’s cute.”  
“Knew it!” Clint yelled, jabbing his finger at her. “You want to kiss her face and spend time with her!”  
“Go away,” Nat moaned, dumping the popcorn on him.  
“Hey, you came here. You knew what would happen.”  
Clint threw a piece of popcorn at her, hitting her nose.

“Are we going to talk about the irony of her being afraid of spiders?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Y’know, given that you’re the Black Widow.”  
“Oh, get fucked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would die for Natasha Romanov and also I would kill for her

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this was "Natasha Romanov loves Amelia", so...
> 
> Nat was 24 in Iron Man 2 and honestly that's so stressful; she was such a baby, and she already had so much experience and such a long, hard life
> 
> Next up: part II, in which Amelia cashes those three calls


End file.
